NFL think tank has sports 'pooling resources' in concussion battle

NEW YORK — Sports as different as football and Olympic horseback riding events such as jumping and dressage (a.k.a. the "horse ballet") all have a common denominator: concussions.

The international governing body for equestrian sports was in attendance over the weekend at an National Football League-hosted "think tank" on concussions and how to better prevent, diagnose and treat them.

Medical officials from Australian rules football, international soccer, the NHL, NCAA and more took part at the NFL headquarters.

Equestrian sports, in which concussions and other head injuries can result from falls and kicks, were represented by the Federation Equestre Internationale, based in Switzerland.

"This is a huge concern for them, and they wear helmets," said neurosurgeon Richard Ellenbogen, co-chairman of the NFL's Head, Neck and Spine Committee, noting the equestrian group was interested in helmet designs for football.

Another attendee was Martin Raftery, chief medical officer on the International Rugby Board, based in Dublin, Ireland. "We recognize every sport is unique, it's different, but we all have common problems … with respect to concussion," said Raftery.

"The solutions might be minimally different, but if we get together and share our information and knowledge and cooperate with research, then we're going to be moving forward.''

Paul McCrory's focus is Australian rules football. "I don't think one group's got the answer. I think it's really kind of pooling resources and getting the best bang for our buck," said McCrory, associate professor at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne, Australia.

The two-day meeting was closed. Some participants met the media Monday. It was announced that the groups plan to share concussion data and collaborate on research to improve diagnostic methods and facilitate recovery.

Since 2009, the NFL policy on return to play after a concussion is that no player can return until free of symptoms (at rest and after exertion) and cleared by the team physician and an independent neurological consultant.

Ellenbogen said more research is needed. "The big issue in concussion is when is it safe to return a player back to the sport," said Ellenbogen, also chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington.

"The fact of the matter is we don't really know the correct answer, and we need to look at all the variations of what is done around the world."

The NFL, which funded the meeting through an educational grant, has reached a tentative settlement, subject to approval by a federal judge, with more than 5,000 players who filed suits alleging that for decades the NFL knowingly failed to protect them from the risks and long-term effects of concussions. The settlement includes hundreds of millions of dollars in awards to former players.

While the legal matter has worked its way through the courts, the NFL has funded USA Football's Heads Up program to promote safer tackling methods in youth and high school football.

Last year, in collaboration with General Electric and Under Armour, the league launched a four-year, $60 million Head Health Challenge to offer funding for new ideas about how treat concussions and development better technology to reduce them.

FIFA, the international soccer federation, was represented here by Jiri Dvorak, chief medical officer. "What we call football is the football played with the foot," said Dvorak.

FIFA was criticized during this summer's World Cup in Brazil after some players continued to play despite blows to the head and suspected concussions.

Dvorak said FIFA will "strengthen" its position that doctors have the final say on whether a player can remain in the game and when he can return. "That's a medical issue, and we as doctors … are responsible for the health (of players), and we take the responsibility and have to act accordingly," he said.

Ellenbogen said the genesis of the meeting was an event he attended in 2012, the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport in Zurich, Switzerland.

"I watched what can be done at an organizational level across sports,'' said Ellenbogen. "… We need to know what to change, what's working, what's not working. … Let's provide the evidence of what the risks are and get rid of some of these risks."

Who will fund any research?

"The funding has not yet been worked out. There were a lot of funding agencies in the room. … There's funding of all kinds," said Ellenbogen.